


A Rainbow Of Colors In The Wings Of A Raven

by Angel Ascending (angel_in_ink)



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Did I mention feelings?, Feelings, Gen, Molly Is Less Angsty After He Dies, Spoilers for Campaign One of Critical Role, Spoilers for Episode 26 of Campaign 2 of Critical Role, Who knew?, all the feelings, resurrection fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-06-09 22:55:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15278007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angel_in_ink/pseuds/Angel%20Ascending
Summary: A figure rises out of the deeper darkness, a vaguely humanoid shape that seems to be made of shadow and wrapped in golden threads. As Molly watches, the figure unfurls massive black wings that would have put Yasha’s to shame and raises its head. Molly would have been surprised to see what looked like a half-elf with long brown hair wearing black leather standing before him, if he had been capable of surprise. Instead, Molly grins and claps his hands, in doing so discovering that even though he is dead, he seems to have a body of sorts.“Most impressive!” Molly says. “Do I get wings as well? Do they come in purple? Ooo, no wait, blue. Or green? Gold? Silver?”





	A Rainbow Of Colors In The Wings Of A Raven

**Author's Note:**

  * For [keeks414](https://archiveofourown.org/users/keeks414/gifts).



> Sequel to Promises Made On Horseback.

Being dead isn’t so bad, Molly thinks to himself. He can’t feel his body anymore, isn’t even sure he has one. All there is surrounding him is darkness and quiet, but it’s not oppressive or heavy, like his nightmares of being under the ground are. It’s… comforting, for lack of a better word. Peaceful. He’s pretty sure he should be angry or scared or _something_ , but instead all he feels is calm. He drifts, and for a period of time he can not measure, he is content. It’s nice not to have to do anything every once in awhile. There’s nothing to be afraid of now, the worst has already happened.

A pool of what Molly can only think of as _darker_ darkness appears and Molly eyes it curiously.

“Hello?” Molly says, and is surprised to find that he _can_ speak in this place, though his voice seems to carry strange echoes.

A figure rises out of the deeper darkness, a vaguely humanoid shape that seems to be made of shadow and wrapped in golden threads. As Molly watches, the figure unfurls massive black wings that would have put Yasha’s to shame and raises its head. Molly would have been surprised to see what looked like a half-elf with long brown hair wearing black leather standing before him, if he had been capable of surprise. Instead, Molly grins and claps his hands, in doing so discovering that even though he is dead, he seems to have a body of sorts.

“Most impressive!” Molly says. “Do I get wings as well? Do they come in purple? Ooo, no wait, blue. Or green? Gold? Silver?”

The figure chuckles. “The wings come with service to the Raven Queen, I’m afraid. They were part of the armor I wore once, and now they’re a part of me always.”

“Ahh, well that’s a shame. I always thought I’d look fabulous with wings. Are you an angel then? I have a friend that’s an angel. Well, sort of an angel. It’s complicated.” Thinking of Yasha makes something ache in his chest, and Molly rubs at the spot absently.

“Some people would call me an angel, I suppose,” the figure says with a thoughtful smile. “You’re in a much better mood than the last time you were here.”

“I was here before?” Molly asks, confused.

The figure narrows his eyes, tilts his head. “Maybe I’ve mistaken you for someone else. And I’ve forgotten my manners entirely.” The figure straightens slightly, sticking out a hand. There are golden threads tied around his wrists, trailing off into the darkness. “I’m Vax’ildan Vassar, servant of the Raven Queen. Call me Vax.”

Something about the name tickles Molly’s memory for half a moment before the feeling fades. “I’m Mollymauk Tealeaf, Molly to my friends.” Molly sticks out his hand to shake and looks down to see threads of his own trailing off both wrists, a rainbow of colors tangled together. “That’s a bit of a mess, isn’t it?”

“It explains a few things,” Vax says as he clasps Molly’s hand for a brief moment before letting go. “Let’s take a walk, shall we?”

“Is there anywhere to walk to?” Molly asks, looking around at the darkness. “I always thought the Raven Queen’s realm would have a bit more in the way of scenery. Some dead trees, a few gravestones, maybe some skulls. It’d really brighten the place up.”

Vax chuckles. “Oh, I _like_ you. And to answer your question, there’s both everywhere to walk to and nowhere to go. Infinity is funny like that. But the illusion of walking is nice.”

“Makes about was much sense as anything else here,” Molly says, and together they walk in the darkness.

“This is where souls go before they enter the Raven Queen’s realm truly,” Vax explains as they walk. “It’s where they stay during the brief window of time where they can be more easily resurrected. As if resurrection was ever easy. It gets harder though, the more time passes. Practically impossible.”

“Shouldn’t there be more people here, then?” Molly looks around, but all he sees is more darkness stretching out before him.

“There are,” Vax says. “You just can’t see them, and they can’t see you.”

“So I’m getting your personal attention right now? I’m flattered.”

Vax full out laughs. “I think you would have gotten along well with some of my friends.”

Friends. There was that ache in Molly’s chest again. “My friends? Are they here? I think I—“ The memory of his own death is hazy. “I think I died trying to weaken the slaver we were fighting.”

Vax’s face hardens for an instant as his eyes go distant, as if looking or listening to something that only he can perceive. Slowly, he shakes his head. “It was just you, Molly.”

“Well that’s all right then,” Molly says. “As long as it was just me and not them.”

Vax looks at Molly for a long moment, something like sorrow and understanding in his dark eyes. “I think you and I have something in common,” Vax says.

Molly opens his mouth to ask what that something is and is distracted by a faint tugging sensation from the threads around his wrists. They’re glowing faintly, the red ones staying dark as old blood. “What’s happening?”

“Ah. I do believe someone is trying to resurrect you.”

For the first time since he died Molly feels fear flicker in his chest. “I’ve crawled out of my own grave once. I don’t know if I can do it again.”

“That was the you that wasn’t you,” Vax says, touching the blood red thread around Molly’s wrist. “Or rather, that was his death you left behind, your own life you crawled towards. But you’re getting ahead of yourself. You should listen to what they have to say first, and then decide.”

“Listen to—?” Molly starts to say, and then he hears a voice.

“Molly? Um, I don’t know if you can hear me, like really hear me, but the cleric said talking out loud would help. We had to steal a lot of money from some very grumpy people to pay for this, so I hope it works. I— we didn’t always see eye to eye, I know that. I don’t know if you thought of me as a friend or just a nuisance or if you even care what I have to say. But… remember back in Hupperdook? When we were all drunk and you danced with me in the tavern? That was the first time anyone had ever danced with me. It was nice. I— don’t know what else to say. You— I hope you can reply to this message.”

“Nott,” Molly says softly. “Huh. I didn’t know she cared.”

Around his wrist, the colored threads glow just a little.

“Hey, obnoxious one.” Beau’s voice is louder than Nott’s, and it echoes in the darkness. “You gotta come back, all right? You and I promised that we were going to free our friends and kick some ass. How are we supposed to do that without you?” Beau’s voice sounds choked, like she’s holding back tears. “First round of drinks is on me, remember? I know how you like to pay for things though, so the second round is all on you.”

Molly chuckles, even though the pain in his chest is getting stronger. The threads around his wrist glow even brighter and he looks down at them. “What’s happening?”

“Magic,” Vax says, like that explains everything. “There’s so many lines of fate at work here. You’re a tangled tapestry, Molly.”

Molly wants to say that he doesn’t believe in fate. Even though he’s a fortune-teller, he knows better than to believe his own hype, but he doesn’t get the chance before another voice speaks.

“Mollymauk.”

Caleb. Caleb speaking so softly, and yet Molly can hear him as clearly as if he was standing next to him.

“It…. It should be Yasha doing this, not me. But she is not here, and I am. You deserve better. I’m sorry. I…. This is not my kind of magic. I am not good with words like you are. I don’t know what to say that would make you want to come back. I would not blame you if you did not. I have only known you a short time, Mollymauk Tealeaf. I wish I had known you longer. I wish… for so many things…”

Molly clutches at his chest, the pain bringing tears to his eyes. The light of the threads around his wrist reflect off Vax’s wings, silver and gold and and blue and green and violet and pink. Only the red, the deep red the color of old blood, old wounds, doesn’t shine.

“You don’t have to go, if you don’t want to,” Molly hears Vax say. “It’s your choice. In the end, it’s up to you.”

“I—“ Molly closes his eyes. “It was good meeting you.”

“It was good meeting you as well, Molly.” That soft chuckle again, joy and sadness and sympathy all rolled into one, fading into a sound like the beating of wings.

*************

Somewhere, a lavender tiefling, surrounded by his friends, opens his eyes, squinting as if the familiar faces were as bright as the sun, as if he were seeing them in a different light. In the distance a raven caws and flies away, well pleased.

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone saw my Tumblr post about how I was writing a fic in the library and crying? This is it.
> 
> I'm angel-ascending over on Tumblr if y'all want to stop by and say hi or cry at me. Is all good.


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